QCOSTARICA – Currently, men in Costa Rica who pay alimony and/or child support must deposit the equivalent of 14 basic salaries and obtain permission of their estranged or former spouse or their children (if they are old enough) before being able to leave the country.
The current law affects Costa Rican men as well as foreigners paying alimony and/or child support.
But, through a proposed change in the Ley de Pensiones Alimentarias, men would only have to present a documented justification to judge to obtain permission to leave the country.
The proposed bill was presented this week by the Fundación Instituto de Apoyo al Hombre (Fundiapho) – Institute For the Support of Men.
According to Eugenia Quesada, director of the Funiapho, many men are affected negatively by the currently legislation. “There are transnational corporations hiring Tico men that must leave Costa Rica on business, but cannot because they cannot and man get fired for it,” said Quesada.
Leaving Costa Rica, by land, air or sea, requires a checkout at immigration, which in turn checks for any registered alimony/child support commitmets.
For its part, the Instituto Nacional de las Mujeres (Inamu) – National Institute for Women – preferred to study the reforms proposed by Fundiapho before giving statements about it.
Editor’s note: At the country’s airports, the immigration check is done behind the scenes, the airline forwarding your information (by way of the exit tax form) to the immigration office, thus the requirement of min. 1 hour prior to departure.
